While I listened to this band, I tried to assume what producer Jacob Hansen was thinking while he produced this following album made by the hands of this British band. The root of my assumption lays in the fact that this new EP / album called "Soul Design" by DREAMCATCHER sounds just about as ANUBIS GATE, a band whom he fronted for some time. The similarities amidst sound production, musical bearings and the overall atmosphere, have reached the level that I can call DREAMCATCHER as the British echelon of ANUBIS GATE. Purpose or not, that is the end result.

Probably what differs DREAMCATCHER from ANUBIS GATE is that the former seemed to me as a bit more commercialized than the latter. Though it won't show at the first listening round, it will be evident that a more than a portion of the material was arranged in order to make it an easy listening experience. I can point out that I noticed a bit of EVERGREY's style on several of the songs even though that DREAMCATCHER doesn't appear to be close to a picture of grey but when it comes to clarity, they are there.

The new album's music is sweeping, flowing and it went past by me rather fast and left a taste to listen to more. I hope I won't have to wait long for a second bite. However, what I missed on the album was the lead fretwork. The album does consist of melodic harmonies but there were no peak moments in the guitar section. Actually, the lead solos are virtually by the keyboards that sounded excellent also on creating wonderful scenery of constant drifting. I was also excited about the vocals, though the singer, Lukas Jackson, isn't at all far away from Hansen's pattern, and it shows on the beautiful track of "Take Hold" where Hansen made guest performance, he turned out as a top notch frontman.

Other than "Take Hold" that I mentioned, I also admired "The Eyes Of One" and "In Depths Of A Dream". This album, and this band, is one of the better releases of Progressive Power Metal, I hope that Lance King, owner of Nightmare Records, heard this one to sign these chaps. It is totally worth it.